Style Guide

Fernwood Authors: here you’ll find Fernwood Publishing’s manuscript requirements, including what your manuscript must contain, as well as technical and editorial guidelines.

YOUR MANUSCRIPT MUST INCLUDE:

Preliminary pages

dedication (if desired)
title page (title, subtitle, author’s (editor’s) name as you wish it to appear)
table of contents (detailed with headings and subheadings, clearly indicating the various levels of headings)
list of tables and figures
list of contributors with one to three sentences describing each (in an edited volume)
acknowledgements
foreword and/or preface

Main text and back matter

text numbered from page 1, divided into chapters, with footnotes at the bottom of the pages
appendices (only if necessary)
references or select bibliography
tables and figures (see Images below)

Electronic Files (text)

each chapter must be saved as a separate file
preliminary pages must be saved as a separate file
references must be saved as a separate file
we require your files be saved in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect and be provided on a CD/DVD

Images (Figures / Charts / Diagrams / Graphs / Tables / Graphics / Photos / Maps / Illustrations):

Indicate in the text where all images etc. are to be inserted. For example, type on a separate line in the body of the text: “Insert Table #1 here.” Don’t worry, these insertion markers will be removed later in production. Do not embed any images or figures in your Word processing file.
Tables/figures should be numbered by chapter number and table number, along with a short title. For example, the second table in chapter 1 would be Table 1-2 Number of Errors in Manuscript, 1998–1999.
Do not format tables. Do not shade cells in a table. Do not use spaces to align words in a table. Delete any blank columns or rows. Keep everything simple and straightforward — don’t get fancy. If it is a large table, try to use abbreviations as much as possible. Keep in mind that the printable area on a book page is 4.3 inches wide.
If you are providing hard copy of photos to be scanned they must be high quality originals.
Electronically generated images etc. must be provided as separate files on CD. These should be created using Microsoft Excel, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. They must be provided in the program in which they were created – do not embed them in your word processing text file. They must be at least 300 dots per inch (dpi) in resolution for greyscale images and 1200 dpi for line art, when at the size at which they will be printed. Images of any sort created in programs other than those listed above must be cleared with the production co-ordinator (bev@fernpub.ca) as we may not be able to access them if we cannot open your files. Book page dimensions are 4.25” wide by 6.75” high. All images must be reduced to fit those specifications. Tables or figures that barely fit on an 8.5” wide page will be impossible to include on a book page so please keep this in mind when you are creating them. Create figures and graphs in greyscale or as black and white line art. Figures created in colour do not translate to grey very well (light green bars and light violet bars end up looking the same shade of grey) and will be returned to you to redo in greyscale. Indicate in the text where this matter is to be inserted. Provide a good quality hard copy as well as part of your manuscript.
Most images that you download from the Internet are not print quality so please do not send low resolution images that you downloaded from a website and expect to be able to reproduce them in your book. For more information about images contact bev@fernpub.ca

Index

If your book requires an index, please discuss this with your managing editor (Errol/Wayne/Jessica/Candida) early in the process. Developing the index is your responsibility. Please obtain our guidelines for indexing from the production coordinator. If your book is to have an index you will be sent a PDF file at the end of the production process to use when creating your index. It is important that you wait until you have the final version of the pages to begin your index, as failure to do so will mean that the pagination will be incorrect and the index will have to be re-done.

Permissions

If you have included any material that requires permission to be reprinted you must obtain and provide the permission.

Biography / Author Data Sheet

a brief biography (1 or 2 sentences) of author(s) or editor(s) for use on the back cover
an author data sheet must be provided with the completed manuscript. (promotions@fernpub.ca to obtain a copy)

TYPING/INPUT GUIDELINES

Manuscripts must be typed double-spaced (including block quotes), left aligned, not justified, with only one space after a period or other end of sentence punctuation.
References must be double-spaced.
Manuscripts must be typed using only one font and size, preferably Times, 12 point.
Headings should be typed in upper and lower case, not all caps. Format your subheadings to indicate levels of headings. For example #1 headings can be bold, #2 headings can be bold italic, and #3 headings can be italic. These will be changed when the book is designed.
Quotes more than 40 words must be indented 1/2 inch and flush right with the rest of the text. There must be a blank line above and below the quote.
New paragraphs should be tabbed in 1/4”, except the first paragraph after a new heading, which should be left aligned.
Do not add extra spaces between words or after italics.
Do not use tabs in the body of your text, except to indicate a new paragraph. Again, remember book pages are different dimensions than manuscript pages and tabs can cause great havoc.
Do not add blank lines after paragraphs.
Please do not format the manuscript beyond the typing of paragraphs, block quotes and headings. Design takes place after editing. If you have specific ideas about the design of your book pages feel free to discuss them with the production coordinator (bev@fernpub.ca) but do not embed these ideas in the manuscript / electronic files.
Do not use underlining or bold in your text for emphasis, in printed form it is unattractive.
Ellipsis should be typed with a space before and after. Please use the ellipsis character on your keyboard, not just a series of periods.

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Dictionaries and Style Guides

We like to follow The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing and the Gage Canadian Dictionary. We also consult Editing Canadian English, the Chicago Manual of Style, the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary if the first two sources do not cover the issue or word in question. Our examples of (and exceptions to) the Canadian Style/Gage approach are set out below.

Introduction

We prefer that you not use the heading “Introduction” for the beginning (section) of a chapter. Such a heading is unnecessary, and does not indicate the content of the section.

Spelling

The most important point about spelling is consistency — by this we mean the use of the same spelling for the same word throughout the manuscript. Contrary to what your Grade 6 teacher may have led you to believe, the spelling of many words in English (especially Canadian English) is still open to question. Gage, for example, often lists two alternate spellings as acceptable in Canadian usage. Of course, keep spelling as it is in quoted material.

Our preferences are:

We prefer the our ending in words such as colour, honour and labour; however, respect the spelling of American place names such as Pearl Harbor.
We prefer the re ending in words such as centre, theatre and metre.
Use a single l for enrol, enrolment, fulfil and fulfilment.
Use a double l in verb forms such as travelling, counselled and labelled.
A single s is sufficient in the words biased and focused.
Use the ize ending in verbs and their derived forms such as civilize, civilization, organize, organization and specialize, specialization.
Spell encyclopedia, archeology, anemia, ecumenical and other words derived from Latin and Greek the “easy” way. Aesthetic is the sole exception.
Spell program without ‘me’ on the end.
We prefer to spell words derived from French, such as cheque and manoeuvre, in the French way.

Hyphenation

The use of hyphens varies widely in English usage. Again, the most important point is consistency within your manuscript. In general, we prefer to use hyphens sparingly, to increase clarity and eliminate ambiguity.

We prefer no hyphen after a prefix (coordination, cooperation). However, there are exceptions. Use a hyphen when:

the root word is capitalized (pre-Aztec, non-British)
the word is a temporary compound (re-cover the couch, but recover from an illness)
the prefix is self-, cross-, ex- and quasi-
aa or ii would result without the hyphen (meta-analysis, anti-inflammatory)
it would be difficult to read the word (co-opt, co-op)
omission would change the meaning of the word.
Two adjectives together often require a hyphen to clarify the meaning (long-range plans, blue-green algae). Words ending in ly do not require a hyphen (easily obtained information).

Capitalization

The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing has a good section on capitalization.

The use of too many capitalized words makes a book look archaic, pompous and difficult to read.
Use initial capital letters for proper names, but use lower case letters when the same word or words are used descriptively: Prime Minister Martin; but as prime minister, Martin led a minority government.
Use capitalization where necessary to avoid confusion: the Act (of Parliament), rather than the act.

Indicating Emphasis

Do not use all capitals for emphasizing words. Italics may be used to emphasize one word or a short phrase in the text, but this technique should be used sparingly. Rearrangement of the words in a sentence may provide the emphasis sought.
Be consistent.
Consider the other use of a particular form of emphasis. For instance, italics is used for foreign words; quotation marks are used for quotations.

Italics

Use italics for non-English words. Be careful, though, because many “foreign” words used commonly by English speakers have been officially accepted into the English language. So consult an up-to-date dictionary. The terms ibid. and et al., for example, have been accepted into the English lexicon and are no longer italicized. Italicize (sic).
Use italics for the names of ships, but not the letters that come before them: SS Mont Blanc, HMS Intrepid. The names of planes, trains and motor vehicles are not italicized.
Use italics for the titles of books, newspapers, reports, movies, plays and published theses, but use quotation marks for chapters, poems, articles and unpublished papers.
Commas following an italicized word should also be italic.

Abbreviations and the Use of Small Caps

We generally prefer the use of small caps and no periods for acronyms (CUSO, NATO) and initialisms (YMCA, CBC).
Use full caps in cases where the letters are conventionally separated by periods (B.C. Federation of Labour, U.N., U.S.).
Remember that words such as Stelco, Dosco and Sysco are shortened expressions of longer names and should not be entirely capped.

Initials

Close up the space between initials: A.N. Whitehead, rather than A. N. Whitehead.

Commas

A comma is used to separate two main clauses in a compound sentence when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or). It is a very common error to put a comma before every “and,” whether it needs one or not. Remember not to use a comma unless it is separating two main clauses.
Do not use the serial comma: use: A, B and C. If your manuscript has already been written using the serial comma, it is okay to leave it, just be sure to let your managing editor know that this is what you have done. Consistency is the most important point here.
The comma is often misused:
- Restrictive phrases are essential to the meaning of the sentence and should not be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Non-restrictive phrases add incidental information and should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

En and Em Dashes

Use an en (middle-length) dash between numbers and dates (25–28, 132–48, 1984–89) and between two place names or terms where one of the elements contains two or more words (the Narrows–Bedford Basin area, labour union–management relations).
However, if the entire manuscript has hyphens between numbers and dates instead of en dashes and this situation would be difficult to change, hyphens are acceptable. Please be consistent.
Use an em (long) dash to indicate a break in thought — just like that, with a space between the dash and the
words on either side.

Quotation Marks

Use double quotation marks for quoted material and to introduce terms. Use single quotation marks only for quotes within a quote.
Use quotation marks for chapters in a book, articles in a journal or newspaper, unpublished papers and dissertations and poems.
Commas and periods go inside final quotation marks. However, question marks, exclamation points, colons and semicolons that are not part of the quoted material are placed after final quotation marks.

Apostrophes

Apostrophes should not be used in plural forms: MPs, 1990s

Possession

Do use apostrophes to indicate possession: the MPs’ salaries, the planet’s future.
In general, if an s is spoken, it should be on the page; if it is not, it should not be there: the Foxes, the Foxes’ dinner party, Mr. Fox’s ambition, Ms. Adams’ wit.

Numbers

In nearly all manuscripts, write out numbers from one to one hundred, then start using numerals: 101, 347. Write out large round numbers that occur in isolation and can be expressed in two unhyphenated words: four hundred, sixty thousand, twenty million.
Spell out the word percent and express percentages in this way: 3.4 percent, 11 percent, 50 percent, 100 percent, 50–85 percent.
Smaller numbers in the company of larger ones are expressed in a complementary way: The percentages were 5, 20 and 121. The two jobs call for seventeen and six hundred workers, respectively.
Express large dollar amounts in this way: $46,000, $50 million, $3.1 billion.
In manuscripts with lots of numbers — books on statistics, for example — you will want to use numerals after one or ten and you will also want to use the percentage sign (%).

Dates

Express years as: 1988–89, the 1990s, the nineties.
We prefer December 6, 1917, over 6 December 1917, but either method is fine if used consistently. The sixth of December is preferred over the 6th of December.

Gender, Race and Ethnicity

We are committed to the elimination of gender, race and ethnic stereotyping. We ask our authors to be sensitive to this issue in their writing.
Use gender-inclusive rather than gender-exclusive language. For example, don’t use “men” when “people” is meant; instead of “man-made,” write “artificial” or “manufactured.”
Avoid the use of the feminine pronoun to refer to ships, hurricanes, etc.
Be careful not to assign roles or characteristics to people solely on the basis of their gender, race or ethnic background. Avoid the use of adjectives and expressions that reinforce stereotypes, such as “inscrutable Orientals,” “frugal Scots” or “amorous Italians.” Avoid the use of words that reinforce stereotypes by implying that certain members of a group are exceptions to the general rule, such as “even hard-working Aboriginals” or “a number of intelligent Black students.”
Use racial and ethnic identifying terms that are currently accepted by the group in discussion. Especially when the author is not a member of the group that she/he is writing about we believe it is important to use the terms most currently acceptable by the group. For example, use African Canadian or Black instead of coloured or Negro; use Inuk (one person), Inuuk (two) and Inuit (three or more) rather than Eskimo; and use Aboriginal, First Nations or nation specific terms such as Cree or Mi’kmaq, rather than Indian, except when referring to government Acts and categories. Be consistent in the use of capitalization of the first letter of racial and ethnic identifying terms.
When books are co-authored or co-edited by persons of different gender, it is our policy to list the women authors first on the cover and title page. This procedure is intended to counteract the common assumption that the female authors or editors had a subordinate status in the project.

Source Citations

We prefer that all sources be cited in the text, rather than in notes, except primary sources. Each source cited in the text should also appear in the list of references at the end of the manuscript. Use this format for citing Internet references as well as print references. Use the following author–date–page number style of source citation in the text:

(Author 1993: 38)

(Author 1993: 288–89)

(Author 1993: 26-27, 77–79)

(Author 1993: Table 2)

(Smith 1976, 1986; Jones 1994)

(Author 1992a and 1992b)

(Author et al. 1993)

(Newspaper November 2, 1994: B1)

The final period should be placed after the final parenthesis of the citation: “I wonder if these clowns will be allowed to run another mine and, if so, who will die as a result” (Comish 1993: 52).
In indented block quotations, the period is placed right after the quote, followed by the citation.
We prefer that you do not separate the page numbers from the other information in a citation, for example, by placing the page numbers at the end of a quote: Comish (1993: 52) said, “I wonder if these clowns will be allowed to run another mine and, if so, who will die as a result.”
For Internet references and sources, use this same format. Where there is no date for a cited website page use “n.d.” Do not use the website address or the full page name for Internet reference citations.
The key issue regarding sources and citations is consistency. If you prefer to use a different approach in your source citations, please contact the publisher to discuss it. If you use a different format, you will be required to provide a citation/source style guide for our production department.

Primary Sources

We prefer that primary sources be cited as endnotes. For example, the reference may be Public Archives of Manitoba but for any given year there will be many files, boxes, etc. In the endnotes, cite as Archive (hereafter as acronym), file, date. For example:
Public Archives of Manitoba (hereafter PAM), GR 1528, Range 30, JD Cameron Papers, Box 11, “Memo: JD Cameron to the Chairman, re: People’s Co-op, November 1, 1939

Notes

Notes should be used very sparingly and only to convey additional information that is too technical, detailed, tangential or cumbersome to be placed in the main text. If you find that certain material could be placed either in the text or a note, choose the former. Simple source citations should definitely be placed in the text; qualified or tangential source citations may be placed in a note.
Indicate a note in the text with a small superscript number. Begin with number 1 at the beginning of each chapter. Use the “insert footnote” function of the wordprocessing program rather than manually creating the superscripts.
Please use footnotes at the bottom of the page in your manuscript. However, they will appear as endnotes at the end of each chapter when the book pages are designed.
For notes that acknowledge assistance with a chapter (another author, revision of a previously published article or chapter, and so on), do not use an endnote in the chapter title or chapter headings. Locate such an endnote in the first paragraph of the chapter or section or simply use an un-numbered endnote at the beginning of the endnotes.

References or Select Bibliography

For edited books we prefer a common reference section rather than separate ones at the end of each chapter. If you wish to use a different method you must discuss this with the publisher and have approval to do so.
Order your list of sources alphabetically, by authors’ last names and then by date. Every source you have cited in the text must be included.
Call your list of sources “References” if you have listed only sources cited in the text; call it a “Select Bibliography” if you have added works that have served as sources but were not cited in the text. Brevity is best; don’t list every book that falls into your topic area.
Please use italics and not underlining for titles of books, journals, newspapers, etc.
Quotation marks should surround the names of articles in a periodical, unpublished papers and theses, and chapters from an edited collection.
The order of information in sources should complement the author–date–page number style of citation in the text: the author comes first, then the date, title, publication information and page numbers, if any. The major sections of information should be separated by periods.
Be consistent with the use of author’s first names – either use for all your references or do not use for all your references. Similarly, for journal articles and book chapters, either include page numbers for all such references or do not include them for all such references.
We prefer that titles of books, reports, newspaper and journal articles, book chapters, etc be capitalized.
Where there are multiple sources from a single author, list with the most recent first.

Here are examples of how to list sources at the end of the manuscript:

Book:

Chomsky, Noam. 1992. What Uncle Sam Really Wants. Berkeley CA: Odonian Press.

Second source by the same author (Chomsky, Noam and Edward Herman for example is not a second source by the same author):

–––. 1989. Racism. London: Routledge.

Selection from an edited collection:

Groenendijk, K. 1989. “Schengen, Refugees and Human Rights.” In P. Gordon (ed.), Fortress Europe? The Meaning of 1992. London: Runnymede Trust.

Article in a journal:

Miles, R., and V. Satzewich. 1990. “Migration, Racism and ‘Postmodern’ Capitalism.” Economy and Society 19, 3(Spring).

Newspaper article:

Valpy, Michael. 1991. “Outsiders have Trouble Being Heard in Canada.” Globe and Mail, March 13.

Page numbers for newspaper references are not required in the bibliography/reference section, but the title of the article must be included.

Internet references:

Do not underline Internet addresses, and do not include “http//” or “www” with website addresses. Date of access is not necessary.
General format for Internet references: Author. Year. “Name of article/page.” At <website address>. For example: CBC News online. 2007. “Wrongfully accused mom can sue pathologist: Appeal Court.” At <cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/03/14/reynolds-lawsuit.html> March 14.
URLs for Internet references must be specific to the page being cited. Do not use the general or home page web address of the author of the article/page. For example, do not use: CBC News online. 2007. “Wrongfully accused mom can sue pathologist: Appeal Court.” At <cbc.ca> March 14.
Where there is no date (year or month and day) use “n.d.” For example: CBC News online. n.d. “Wrongfully accused mom can sue pathologist: Appeal Court.” At <cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/reynolds-lawsuit.html>

If you have questions regarding preparation of your manuscript please contact us.

Fernwood Publishing Co. Ltd.

902.857.1388 info@fernpub.ca www.fernwoodpublishing.ca

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